The Pentagon has awarded Elon Musk's SpaceX its first confirmed contract for the Starshield network it's developing, a military-specific version of the company's Starlink satellite internet system, the defense agency said Wednesday. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed that SpaceX on Sept. 1 was awarded a one-year contract for Starshield with a maximum value of $70 million. SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the Starshield contract. The Pentagon is already a high-value buyer of the company's rocket launches and had shown increasing interest in its Starlink satellite internet. SpaceX's award for Starshield follows its June win of a Pentagon contract to buy an undefined number of Starlink ground terminals for use in Ukraine.

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Persons: Elon, Ann Stefanek, Starshield, — CNBC's Claudia Johnson Organizations: Pentagon, SpaceX, Space Force, Starshield, Space, CNBC, Department of Defense, Bloomberg Locations: Ukraine